


F*cking Mashed Potatoes

by AngelCuttingOnions



Category: The Penumbra Podcast
Genre: Angst, Child Abuse, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, In the second chapter at least, Juno Steel Needs a Hug, Past Child Abuse, Sickfic, Trauma, UNTIL CHAPTER 2, Vomiting, Whump, see notes for trigger warnings, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27795046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelCuttingOnions/pseuds/AngelCuttingOnions
Summary: So he sat, glaring at the bowl of lifeless limp potatoes like they had personally wronged them. They did actually, just by being there.Trigger Warnings in Chapter Notes
Relationships: Buddy Aurinko & Juno Steel, Juno Steel & Sarah Steel
Comments: 10
Kudos: 75





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi yes I am brand fucking new to this fandom, binged the podcast in 10 days, spent two weeks reading fanfics and info dumping on my best friend, and now I am projecting my childhood bullshit onto Juno Steel for my first published fic BITCH WHAT ABOUT IT
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THIS CHAPTER (if y’all think anything else needs to be mentioned or tagged PLEASE let me know)  
> \- Detailed description of vomiting  
> \- Sarah Steel  
> \- Description of child abuse (hair pulling which causes choking)

Juno was sitting at the kitchen table with Sarah and Benten, a bowl of potatoes in front of him. His stomach churned just looking at it. He wouldn’t have even been there if Sarah didn’t make him come out of his room for dinner. “ _You‘re going eat something. Don’t look at me like that. You’re joining us at the table and you’re sitting there until you’ve eaten_.” Juno had a stomach flu. He’d been throwing up all week, and nothing he ate or drank could be held down. Sarah didn’t take him to a doctor of course, kids got sick all the time, he just needed to get over it. 

So he sat, glaring at the bowl of lifeless limp potatoes like they had personally wronged them. They did actually, just by being there. Juno got away with shoving the food around in his bowl for a little while before Sarah frowned at him, and he knew whatever she would do to him would be worse than the endless churning in his stomach. So he took a bite. He took one, then another and another and then... 

Then Juno tasted the sharp disgusting acidic flavor he’d come to know over the last week. He leaned over to the trash can next to him and everything he forced himself to eat came rushing up his throat, into his mouth, and out into the bin, burning the whole way through. Once he stopped he panted, trying to catch his breath. Slow inhales and slow exhales, then trying to spit the remaining acid taste into the bin. 

Benten looked at his sibling worried, opened his mouth to speak when Juno started to lean over once more. That was when he felt a hand in his hair and he tensed up. The hand tugged, successfully yanking Juno’s face away from the bin, and it was wrenched from his hands. He whimpered, looking up to see Sarah glaring down at him. “What do you think you’re doing?” 

“I need to-”

“No you don’t.” She said it bluntly, like it was something the child could control. And maybe it was, maybe it should have been but Juno was just too weak. “The more you throw up the sicker you’ll get. _Stop it!_ You’re going to put the can on the floor and you’re going to eat the rest of your food.” 

Juno’s breathing picked up as he felt the churning in his stomach increase. “Ma I gotta-”

“Stop overreacting you Little _Monster_!” 

Juno flinched and the hand in his hair tightened. And then he was choking. The bile in his stomach had risen up and it was now in his throat and in his mouth. It burned and it was going up his nose and he couldn’t breathe. He knew if he breathed everything in his mouth would get inhaled and the pain would just get worse, but Sarah still held on, either not noticing or not caring about the child’s struggling. She went on and on about how he just needed to cut it out, the ungrateful little brat. He knew better than to act up like this. 

Juno managed to gurgle something with tears gathered at the corners of his eyes, something which made Ben yell out “Ma!” and then the pain on his scalp was gone. He immediately leaned forward and gagged, everything he was holding in his mouth was now in his bowl of potatoes. He heaved three more times, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he struggled to catch his breath. When he was done he didn’t look up, refusing to see whatever expression of disgust or disappointment was on Sarah’s face. 

“Fine. Go to your room and go to bed.” He didn’t move. “ _Now_!”

Juno stood slowly and left the room, shame washing over him. He couldn’t do just _one stupid thing._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear to god the second chapter is much. l e s s-
> 
> On a lighter note i ordered my first binder today and i’m. AAAAA.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i project my mommy issues onto Juno and that leaves me with Buddy Aurinko and no i will not be taking any judgement for it
> 
> anyway here’s where the comfort part of the hurt comes in-
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS FOR THE CHAPTER  
> \- Description of vomiting  
> \- outsider POV of panic attack/flashback

Juno was laying in bed, covered from head to toe in blankets carefully tucked around him by Nureyev. There was a bin by his bed if he needed to be sick, and there was a cool breeze from one of the fans somewhere blowing on the few inches of his head which poked out of his cocoon. There was a thermometer on his nightstand, left by Vespa the last time she had come to check on him. The thermometer was next to a computer loaded up with Rita’s very favorite streams just for him, and a nearly empty water glass from the last time Jet had made his way into the room. 

Buddy was standing in the doorway with a thermos and a package of crackers. “Feeling any better Juno?” She questioned softly, getting a slow head shake in response. She hummed, clearly worried. The woman walked towards Juno’s night stand, setting down the items in her hands. 

“Soup broth and crackers. You don’t have to eat now but you need something in your system soon.” Buddy then walked towards the armchair at the edge of the room and took a seat. “You’re not going to be better in time for the next heist.” It was said plainly, but not accusingly. 

Juno still flinched. “I’m sorry.” His voice was weak, throat scratchy and sore from all the throwing up he’d been doing. “I can try-“ 

“Darling that was not an accusation. These things happen, you may take all the time that you need to recover.” Buddy always seemed to know what was going on in Juno’s head without him saying anything, and just how to respond to it. 

And it worked of course, that is until Juno felt that familiar churning in his stomach and he had to sit up from under the blankets and struggle to reach for the trash bin. Buddy reacted quickly, standing and holding it under the lady’s head as what little was in his stomach emptied itself into the can. She started to brush his hair back from his flushed face until Juno froze and tensed. Buddy quickly pulled her hand back but Juno’s breath had already quickened. 

He coughed in between words, apologizing over and over, for what? Buddy wasn’t quite certain, but she was quick to reassure him. “It’s alright Juno, you’re going to be alright darling. You have _nothing_ to apologize for.” 

“-m sorry ma. Sorry.” He mumbled. He was close to hyperventilating when he threw up again. 

Buddy sat herself down right next to him, careful not to touch him. She held the can steady and kept telling him there was nothing he had to be sorry for. Eventually Juno’s breathing calmed and she asked if she could touch him, getting a shaky nod in response. She placed a hand on his back, pressure to let him know he wasn’t alone, and she sat with him as his breathing evened out and his eyes started to slide shut. 

When Vespa came back in to check on the former detective, she was greeted by the sight of his head in her fiancés lap, with one of Buddy’s hands running up and down his back steadily. She raised an eyebrow at the two of them. “He’s really feeling like shit huh.” She stated quietly. “Need anything Bud?” 

“No thank you Vespa dear, Juno and I are quite alright for now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fun fact this was actually supposed to be a peter & juno chapter and then i started writing it and it kinda just. wrote itself. anyway buddy is junos mother figure now goodbye-


End file.
